2015 Italian Spring Nationals and WC Trials: World-Leading 1500 for Paltrinieri Highlights Day Four Finals

2015 Italian Spring National Championships and WC Trials

• Dates: Monday, April 13 – Monday, April 20, 2015
• Times: prelims 9:00 am, semis/ finals 5 pm
• Location: Riccione, Italy (GMT +1, or 6 hours ahead of N.Y., 9 ahead of L.A.)
• Results: Available
• Championship Central

The Italian Spring National Championships and World Championships Trials opened in Riccione on Tuesday, with 621 athletes from 139 teams. The meet is doubling as a selection meet for the Italian team who will compete at 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia. The Italian qualifying standards for Kazan are more difficult than what we saw two weeks ago in France. We have outlined the standards in our Day One recap here.

Day Four gave the Italian public a great deal to cheer about. A world-leading time, new names for the Kazan roster, national records… it was all there. The Italian World Championship team list now stands at 16 with the additions of Gregorio Paltrinieri in the men’s 1500, Arianna Castiglioni in the women’s 50 breast, Alice Mizzau in the women’s 200 free, and relay swimmers Chiara Masini Luccetti, Erika Musso, and Diletta Carli. Federica Pellegrini also made the 800 free relay with her prelims swim.

The day ended with a pair of national club records for both the women’s and men’s 400 medley relays.

Complete Results

Women’s 200 Freestyle Final

• Italian Record: Federica Pellegrini (CC Aniene), 1:52.98 – Rome, 2009
• 2014 Champion: Federica Pellegrini (CC Aniene), 1:55.69
• Kazan Qualifying Time: 1:57.50

As with the 200 backstroke, defending champion Federica Pellegrini swam prelims but pulled out of finals, giving way to others to make the Italian squad for Kazan. Pellegrini went 1:56.51 in the morning to lead the qualifiers by nearly 3 seconds.

With Pellegrini gone, Alice Mizzau (Yellow Flames / Team Veneto) stepped in to win with a personal-best 1:57.37, making the Kazan standard with .13 to spare. Mizzau and the next three finishers all came in under the 1:59 qualifying time established by FIN (Italian Federation) to make the team for the 4×200 free relay. In order, they were Chiara Masini Luccetti (Forest / Livorno) with 1:57.86, a personal best by 1 second; Erica Musso (Rome Golden Flames / Savona) with 1:58.65, best by 1.7 seconds; and Diletta Carli (Rome Golden Flames / Tyrrhenian) with 1:58.76, best by .2.

Men’s 200 IM Final

• Italian Record: Alessio Boggiatto (Sisport Fiat Torino), 1:58.33 – Rome, 2009
• 2014 Champion: Federico Turrini (Army / Livorno), 2:00.34
• Kazan Qualifying Time: 1:58.90

Defending champion Federico Turrini (Army / Livorno) was nearly a half-second faster than last year, winning in 1:59.90. However, he missed the Kazan qualifying standard by a second. Daniele Cove (SMGM Team Lombardy) came in second with 2:01.58, .40 ahead of Giorgio Gaetani (Larus).

Women’s 50 Backstroke Final

• Italian Record: Elena Gemo, 28.27 – Rome, 2009
• 2014 Champion: Arianna Barbieri (Yellow Flames / Blue 91), 28.56
• Kazan Qualifying Time: 28.10

Arianna Barbieri (Yellow Flames / Blue 91) won a close race in the 50 back, taking .12 off her 2014 winning time but still missing the Kazan mark by .34; Barbieri touched in 28.44. Italian record-holder Elena Gemo (Forest / CC Aniene) placed second in 28.65, while Laura Letrari (Army / Bolzano) was third with 28.87.

Men’s 50 Freestyle Final

• Italian Record: Marco Orsi, 21.82 – Riccione, 2009
• 2014 Champion: Luca Dotto (Forest / Larus) 22.10
• Kazan Qualifying Time: 22.09

Italian sprint king Marco Ossi (Rome Golden Flames / Uisp Bologna) won the men’s 50 free in 22.07, qualifying for Kazan with .02 to spare. Luca Dotto (Forest / Larus) went 22.12 to finish second. After his race he said, “It’s too bad because I had swum a good 50 in the morning. I felt great in the water and I was hoping to do better tonight.”

Federico Bocchia (Uisp Bologna) picked up the bronze medal with 22.28.

Women’s 50 Breaststroke Final

• Italian Record: Roberta Panara, 31.08 – Riccione, 2009
• 2014 Champion: Lisa Fissneider (Yellow Flames / Bolzano) 31.09
• Kazan Qualifying Time: 31.10

17-year-old Arianna Castgilioni (Yellow Flames / Team Insubrika) won the women’s 50 breast with a new Italian “Cadet” record of 31.15, eclipsing the old Cadet mark of 31.22 set by Ilaria Scarcella in 2009 in Rome. Castigilioni admitted she had some work to do on her starts, “Yes, I know it was a nice comeback, but I am used to seeing myself behind everyone else at the start. I need to improve my start. Fortunately, I am getting better, even in the 50.”

Martina Carraro (Blue 91) was runner-up in 31.18. The bronze medal went to Michela Guzzetti (Army) in 31.52.

Men’s 1500 Freestyle Final

• Italian Record:
• 2014 Champion: Gregorio Paltrinieri (Rome Golden Flames / Coopernuoto), 14:44.50
• Kazan Qualifying Time: 14:55.00

Gregorio Paltrinieri (Rome Golden Flames / Coopernuoto) punched his ticket to Kazan with a monster swim in the final of the 1500. Paltrinieri went 14:43.87 to win the event with the world’s fastest time for the year. He came in just ahead of his training partner in Melbourne, Mack Horton, who put up a 14:44.87 last week in Sydney. Paltrinieri was only off his lifetime best, set in Berlin last summer, by 4 seconds.

The silver medal went to Samuel Pizzetti (Army / Milan) in 15:14.74. Simone Ruffini (Army / CC Aniene) improved his seed time by 2.6 seconds to finish third in 15:18.70.

Women’s 4×100 Medley Relay Final

• Italian Club Record: CC Aniene, 4:03.90 – Riccione, 2014
• 2014 Champion: Yellow Flames, 4:04.01
• Kazan Qualifying Time: 4:02.50

The quartet from CC Aniene broke their own national club record in the 400 medley relay by more than 2.2 seconds with outstanding performances from each leg: Margherita Panziera (1:01.17), Scarcella (1:07.89), Elena Di Liddo (58.93), and Pellegrini (53.65).

Yellow Flames finished second in 4:04.34; Forest was third with 4:05.24.

Men’s 4×100 Medley Relay Final

• Italian Club Record: Rome Golden Flames, 3:36.01 – Riccione, 2012
• 2014 Champion: Rome Golden Flames, 3:37.66
• Kazan Qualifying Time: 3:36.00

Rome Golden Flames also lowered their own club record in the 400 medley relay. Christopher Ciccarese (54.79), Edoardo Giorgetti (1:01.26), Matteo Rivolta (51.54), and Orsi (47.60) took 9/10 off their previous record from 2012, establishing the new mark at 3:35.19.

The Army quartet of Simone Sabbioini, Fabio Scozzoli, Piero Codia, and Nicolangelo Di Fabio were also under the old record, finishing second with 3:35.78. Forest finished third in 3:38.67.